


Lessons

by Marsalias



Series: Grandfather Clocks [6]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Danny gets a tutor, Fluff, Lost Time, platonic Danny and Clockwork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:22:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23702278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marsalias/pseuds/Marsalias
Summary: Danny flew close to Clockwork, almost hanging onto the other ghost's tail. He couldn't help himself. He was nervous. It wasn't every day that Clockwork looked at Danny, sighed, and declared that he needed a tutor.
Series: Grandfather Clocks [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1706959
Comments: 13
Kudos: 312
Collections: Love dan





	Lessons

Danny flew close to Clockwork, almost hanging onto the other ghost's tail. He couldn't help himself. He was nervous. It wasn't every day that Clockwork looked at Danny, sighed, and declared that he needed a tutor.

It was true that Danny wasn't the greatest of students, but he tried, and the pronouncement had hurt a little. He therefore resolved to do his very best with whoever Clockwork was bringing him to. He _would_ get his grades up. Although, grades probably weren't what Clockwork had in mind with this. The conversation that had prompted Clockwork's sigh had been about ghost culture. Well. Danny would learn about that, then, and he'd do his best and then Clockwork would be happy.

Sometimes, when Danny was alone and being introspective, he was a little unsettled by how much he wanted to please Clockwork, but Clockwork made him feel _safe._ Safety was no longer something that he took for granted. It wasn't so bad, was it, that he wanted to make Clockwork happy in return? It was only natural, right?

Danny wasn't thinking about that right now, though. He was trying to guess who his tutor would be. Clockwork had said that it was someone he had met before. That made for a long list, but Danny could start to rule people out. It had to be someone smart, who also had time, that he wasn't already learning something from.

That actually ruled out most ghosts that he knew well. Frostbite, Pandora, and Dora were all really busy with their respective Realms. Most of the yetis who Danny knew well were already helping him with his ice powers. Many of the people Danny hung out with in Pandora's Realm spared with him and told him stories on a regular basis. Dora had decided that, as Danny was one of her knights, he had to be able to act the part. Then there was Wulf. Wulf probably knew a lot of stuff, but he wasn't the tutoring type.

That took Danny into the land of acquaintances, frenemies, allies, and sort-of buddies. He had initially suspected that it would be a yeti, Greek, or Maddinglyite that he didn't know very well, but then Clockwork had lead him away from all three of those Realms. Then Danny wondered if it might be Poindexter. Poindexter was intelligent, or at least nerdy, even if Danny wasn't at all sure what Poindexter could teach him. Then they had passed Poindexter's lair.

That shortened Danny's list considerably. A whole lot of the ghosts he regularly interacted with were teaching him _something._ Or trying to. Danny chalked it up to weird ghost stuff, or the insanity that Obsessions could sometimes drive people to. Danny knew that he had done some weird stuff himself on behalf of his Obsessions.

Even Ember had taken to kidnapping him now and again, for more than just filling in for her keyboardist. She kept trying to give him voice lessons. Shudder.

Then there were the ghosts who were, honestly, not bright enough to tutor Danny. Danny wasn't the brightest bulb, but a lot of the ghosts he fought were downright dim.

Finally there were Danny's flat-out enemies. Danny couldn't imagine why they would help tutor him, though.

So Danny was mystified. Thoroughly mystified. He didn't know anyone out here in this part of the Ghost Zone. Except for...

Ghostwriter.

"Clockwork?"

"Yes, Daniel?"

"We aren't going to see Ghostwriter, are we?"

Clockwork glanced back, smiling, eyebrow raised. "You picked that up quickly," he said.

"Is that a good idea?" asked Danny. "He doesn't like me very much. Because I, um, you know, accidentally destroyed his poem and, um, didn't apologize."

"But you did apologize," said Clockwork, "when you broke him out of Walker's prison."

"Yeah, but that was way later, and when I said sorry he yelled 'I don't accept!' and ran away." Danny paused. "I mean, we were being shot at at the time, but still."

"He has had time to think about it since then."

"That doesn't mean that he's forgiven me."

"It doesn't mean that he hasn't."

"I guess."

"And I can be very convincing."

Danny blinked at the older ghost. That didn't mean what it sounded like, did it? Because it sounded kind of like a threat.

They touched down on the steps of Ghostwriter's library. Danny nervously examined the stone lions at the bottom of the stair (this was the Ghost Zone and sometimes statues were not statues) as Clockwork flew up to the tall double doors and knocked.

Ghostwriter, clearly already in a bad mood, threw open the door, and froze. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. "You," he whispered, staring at Clockwork. Then he caught sight of Danny. "You," he repeated, this time with less shock and more anger.

"Yes," said Clockwork dryly. "Us."

Ghostwriter's eyes flicked between Clockwork and Danny, then went narrow. "What do you want?"

"Well, I do believe that you've met my grandson," began Clockwork. Ghostwriter blanched. Danny watched the interaction with some fascination. "It is unfortunate, but my duties mean that, as ironic as it sounds, I do not always have the time to teach him when he is available to be taught. It is my understanding, however that you have quite a bit of free time."

"Who told you that?"

"No one did," said Clockwork. "They didn't have to. I know everything, after all." He smiled with all his teeth.

"So you want me to..."

"Be his tutor."

"Absolutely not!" exclaimed Ghostwriter. "The last time he was in here, he destroyed hundreds of books! And my keyboard!"

"After you chose to attack him during Christmas." Clockwork hummed contemplatively. "I understand that you are having trouble with a legally minded individual. I could make that go away. Or I could... Do something else. Your choice. In any case, I believe that Daniel apologized." Clockwork paused. "It was around the time that he freed you from prison."

"It was his fault that I was in prison in the first place!"

Danny flinched, guilty.

"If you had only waited until the Christmas truce was over, then you would not have been brought to Walker's attention. Daniel, while he did commit a social faux pas, did not break the law. Or force you to." There was that smile again. "I would say, then, that it is your fault that you were in prison. It remains to you to stay out of prison. I am offering you an opportunity to do so."

Ghostwriter looked at Clockwork. Then he looked at Danny. Then at Clockwork. Danny. Clockwork.

"Fine," he snapped, finally.


End file.
